CIA Warned 'Civilians' During US Military Airstrikes in Afghanistan

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The U.S. military has come under criticism for causing civilian casualties due to a misstrike during its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Reports have emerged that U.S. intelligence agencies issued an urgent warning about the possible presence of civilians at the site almost simultaneously with the airstrike.

CNN reported on the 18th (local time) that immediately after the U.S. military fired a Hellfire missile at a vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, believed to be operated by the terrorist group Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) issued an urgent alert regarding the possibility that civilians, including children, were in the vehicle.

The missile struck the vehicle, killing 10 civilians, including seven children.

According to CNN, just before the airstrike was carried out, the CIA issued a warning about the potential presence of civilians and attempted to halt the strike, but was unable to prevent the attack.

In particular, the U.S. military initially denied knowing whether civilians were present immediately after the strike, but CNN’s report indicates that the military was aware of the possibility of civilian deaths right after the bombing.

The U.S. military has acknowledged that some civilians may have died but has maintained that the attack was a legitimate strike on confirmed terrorist targets.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley stated immediately after the strike that the airstrike was justified, and the Department of Defense claimed that civilian casualties resulted from a secondary explosion following the strike.

However, intelligence agencies tracked the movements of Jemari Ahmadi, a collaborator of the U.S. relief organization Nutrition & Education International (NEI), for eight hours on the day of the misstrike, April 29. This was based on an extremely tenuous connection involving brief contact at a location the U.S. military believed to be an IS-K hideout.

CNN reported, "The flimsy clues led to a misinterpretation of Ahmadi’s movements during an ordinary day. When he loaded water bottles into his car to take home, they were mistaken for explosives."

The U.S. military claimed that the secondary explosion after the strike was caused by explosives in the trunk, but CNN revealed that it was more likely a propane gas tank located at the rear of the vehicle.

Moreover, the military command reportedly did not even know Ahmadi’s identity while tracking him.

Ultimately, General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, bowed his head and admitted the "devastating mistake" 19 days after the misstrike, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also apologized and ordered an investigation, including into responsibility for the misstrike.

This incident has posed another challenge for the Joe Biden administration, which is considering counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan after the withdrawal. Military, counterterrorism, and intelligence agencies have unanimously agreed that successful airstrikes against terrorist groups are even more difficult without ground forces.

Experts have pointed out that the possibility of misstrikes increased due to inadequate cooperation between the military and intelligence agencies.

Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer who worked in Afghanistan, said, "If the mission to decide whether a target can be 'shot or not' is entrusted to intelligence agencies, they must have the capability to acquire that information and influence the airstrike. If there is no way to know that a strike will be launched, that is a problem."

CNN noted, "Information and decision-making flows between the military and the CIA sometimes conflict, and in some cases, different standards operate in conducting airstrikes of this nature."